Matt @ Kurb gets a telling off from NZ on Air

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Just got a note from Brendan Smythe, boss of NZ on Air responding to my blog

"New Zealand music industry funding whinge fest"

Kinda made me think, gee, I wish I worked for the government then I could spend more time emailing bloggers instead of innovating to create value.

Lets get straight to the take aways.

Blogging gives you presence and a powerful voice.

I live only a few blocks from the New Zealand Music Industry Commission. I've emailed them about the digital economy and the long tail.

Once I even called them up and I asked for support. Some smug fuck asked me "What do you mean, like a wheelchair?"

Now because I have a blog and an online presence and I just happen to republish a bunch of articles complaining about NZ on Air for a variety of reasons because I know my readership would be interested, I get some long letter from the head of NZ on Air taking the trouble to "correct" me.

The only point I wanted to make was that they should give 50k to amplifier to juice up their site or to somebody who will build a site so that ALL kiwi musicians can get paid, not just Brad Carter because he used to be in Steriogram. (Brad Carter is only one of 2 New Zealanders in his new band Pistol Youth BTW)

http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3Lm15c3BhY2UuY29tL3Bpc3RvbHlvdXRo

I'd like to do it but I'm pretty busy and I don't know that much about web design.

(PS: I made $US3 on my blog yesterday. One click in particular made me $1.20! sweet!!! And for the record - it looks like brendan found these comments on my blog before he even realised they were on nz musician. I wonder if they'll get taken down off NZ musician now. Thats what I'm talking about in the NZ music industry. We're all friends. )

That - It's not really actually the who you know thing so much any more.

Well it is, of course it is. BUT we're living in a new era. I may sound full of myself but I don't have any connections.

I think musicians, ESPECIALLY New Zealand musicians need to understand what I'm saying, that up until now you simply couldn't hope to be successful in the music business without knowing personally people who were already successful.

I'm not friends personally with anyone in the industry. There's only one connection I've made that's been responsible for my success and that's my connection to the internet.

What a beautiful thing, to understand the true meaning of being "independent" to never depend on social relationships or government money to make a living in music. There is no barrier now between artists and their niche fanbases except promotion!

Not living in Auckland (Or lets be realistic, Melbourne or Sydney) is a disadvantage. But not so much any more. I live in Auckland. Hire me and that's half the problem solved.

But yeah, I didn't want to be rude to Mr. NZ on Air because my main response to him was actually amused that he bothered. Cos, y'know. I was just blogging!

I'm just doing my thing!

But I did feel like making my point y'know, Muldoon is dead. There's no hand holding in the 21^st century, those who innovate, create and embrace new models will succeed regardless of some out of touch government funding agency.

I'm not being mean, but I think he probably thinks that what he thinks is gonna mean something to me, because he thinks . . .

Well let's be honest.

How can a band make it in New Zealand without government funding?

Or is that why NZ on Air is more part of the problem, not the solution?


(PS when artists email me for an official quote as part of a request for funding application, I do purposefully ignore those requests as an official waste of time. Doesn't look like any application with a quote from kurb on it will be getting funding any time soon anyway! haha :p)

love you Brendan. Obviously a very passionate guy commited to his work.